


Field Trip

by helloshepard



Series: prowlcoswave [10]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Conversations, Courtship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fix-It, Injury Recovery, Meeting the 'Parent' [Cat Dad], Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Poly, Sharing a Bed, Shovel Talk, Soundwave's Sanctuary for Wayward Spies, Teasing, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:27:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24832342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloshepard/pseuds/helloshepard
Summary: “Congratulations. Ravage officially hates you the least of all the mechs Soundwave’s introduced him to.”“It’s not like Soundwave was everseriousabout them,” Buzzsaw said. “The idiot has emotional processors were his logic circuits should be.”“They weren’t serious abouthim,”Laserbeak corrected. “It’s nauseating, but you two seem just as taken with him as he is with you. Which is a first.”Ravage persuades theLost Lightto take a detour to Jupiter.
Relationships: Cassettes & Soundwave, Cosmos/Prowl/Soundwave, Prowl & Getaway, Ravage & Soundwave
Series: prowlcoswave [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633282
Comments: 11
Kudos: 78





	Field Trip

**Author's Note:**

> So this..........thing is the first (published) major canon-divergent event of the series (besides the whole premise of the fic, which is canon divergent, of course). The second will be the whole thing with Sentinel, but in this au, that's already happened; I just haven't found the desire to write it yet.
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> Most of the tags are applicable to the second chapter of this fic. 
> 
> Happy (early) Father's Day, Ravage. You deserve it.

Soundwave proved to be an excellent timepiece in counting down the time until the station’s next—and possibly most infamous—official visitors arrived.

Cosmos watched Soundwave pace up and down the corridor, stop, then gaze out the viewpane for a long moment, then begin pacing again.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Cosmos had offered. Soundwave had stopped wearing a path in the floor, looked at him with quiet desperation, nodded, and managed to stay still for three whole minutes before resuming his pacing.

Cosmos stifled a sigh. He straightened, pushing off the wall he had been leaning against, and stopped Soundwave in his tracks by virtue of standing in his path and refusing to move. Soundwave looked up at him helplessly.

“Is it Megatron?”

Soundwave began to nod, paused, then shook his head, before shrugging.

“Multiple things,” Soundwave said, finally. Cosmos nodded, and hoped he was being _encouraging_ rather than _overbearing._ “Situation…complicated.”

“You said it.”

It wasn’t just Soundwave—the entire station was restless, anticipating its first _large_ group of Autobot visitors. Maybe Soundwave was feeding off his residents’ anxiety. Or maybe he was just _that_ worried about speaking to Megatron in-person again. The cause didn’t really matter.

Cosmos opened his arms.

Soundwave nodded, wordlessly accepting the invitation as he sank into Cosmos.

“Sorry Prowl’s not here,” Cosmos said. “Him and his mind’d probably be a better distraction.”

Soundwave stiffened.

“You are more than adequate a distraction, Cosmos.”

“Sure, sure.” Cosmos rested his chin lightly atop the crest on Soundwave’s helm. “Better?”

Wordlessly, Soundwave nodded. Cosmos tried to let his thoughts drift—hard, when Soundwave was a comforting, _solid_ presence in his arms, keeping him grounded. But he was here to keep _Soundwave_ grounded, but if Cosmos was thinking about anything _but_ the _Lost Light’s_ impending arrival, wasn’t that distracting enough?

Were there no chance someone would stumble on them, Cosmos might have sat, pulling Soundwave into his lap and holding him even _closer,_ letting the smaller mech get as close as he wanted.

“Later?”

“If you want.” Gently, Cosmos traced one of the welds on Soundwave’s back. Considering Soundwave had barely spent a day recuperating from his injuries at Sentinel’s hands, it was amazing the scar wasn’t far larger.

This close, he could feel the gentle weight of Soundwave’s senses pressing against his consciousness. It had always _been_ there, Cosmos supposed, but now he was simply getting attuned to it. Or maybe Soundwave just wasn’t trying as hard to conceal it.

Either way, holding Soundwave felt a little like what holding a star must feel like—vibrant and _alive,_ though now it was cut through with sharp worry.

“Um,” Prowl said. “The station is prepared, and the _Lost Light_ has requested permission to dock.”

Cosmos jumped. Normally, Soundwave knew Prowl was approaching far earlier than Cosmos did. But Soundwave hadn’t moved, betraying just how deeply he had tried to sink into the distraction of Cosmos’s mind.

Prowl stood awkwardly in the corridor as Cosmos nodded a greeting. He didn’t have any reason to feel embarrassed—out of everyone on the station, he would have far preferred Prowl stumble on them like this than anyone else. And it wasn’t like they were doing anything _wrong._

Primus knew Prowl had done the same for Soundwave before. And Cosmos could still easily count the number of times he and Prowl had sat in the darkness of their habsuite, waiting for a wave of panic to work itself out of Prowl’s processors.

It still felt strange, being out in the _open,_ like this. In front of someone else, even if that someone else was Prowl, though Cosmos knew he would feel just as uncomfortable if Soundwave had walked in on him and Prowl. Or, he knew from experience, he happened to stumble on Soundwave and Prowl together.

Cosmos wondered when that feeling would subside.

Prowl didn’t seem to mind—or if he did, he did a much better job hiding it. He stepped forward, hand outstretched, and tapped Soundwave’s shoulder.

“Soundwave. They’re here.”

Soundwave nodded. Begrudgingly, Cosmos let his arms drop, and Soundwave straightened, then took a measured step away.

“Thank you.”

“Any time.”

They had discussed this—Soundwave would be the first thing the bots exiting the _Lost Light_ would see, followed almost instantly by Cosmos and Prowl. Soundwave had filled Ravage in on the particulars of the resident Autobots, but Cosmos wasn’t sure whether Ravage had told _Rodimus_ he and Prowl were living on the station.

Either way, it was intended to be reassuring. The fact that Cosmos stood a good two heads taller than Soundwave was an added bonus.

Cosmos watched as Soundwave transformed from a nervous, pacing wreck to the stoic, unflappable Decepticon so many Autobots had been sparked fearing, though he could still feel the tendrils of Soundwave’s anxiety curling around his armor.

He snuck a glance at Prowl. From this angle, he couldn’t see the Autobot’s remaining optic, but his mouth was set in a thin line, looking vaguely displeased. He _wasn’t_ displeased, Cosmos knew. He just looked…present. Like he was thinking.

And he was also gorgeous.

Cosmos heard Soundwave smile beneath his battlemask.

He snuck another glance at Prowl, only to see the Autobot was looking in his direction. Before either of them could say a word, the airlock hissed open, and out came…

Rodimus. Rodimus, missing his trademark grin. Behind him loomed Ultra Magnus—strange, Cosmos thought, that the presence of those two could immediately settle nerves Cosmos hadn’t even realized were frayed. The _Lost Light_ had been his home for a year—barely a sparkbeat compared to the lifespan of the average Cybertronian, compared to the decades he had lived on the station—but Cosmos supposed some things never changed.

He was grateful his presence _didn’t_ require him to offer greetings beyond the occasional awkward wave as the Autobots disembarked. It wasn’t even _close_ to the full crew, Cosmos knew—besides Rodimus and Magnus, there was Cyclonus, accompanying the ever-curious Tailgate, Skids and Brainstorm and a pair of Autobots Cosmos didn’t recognize. They wandered down the hall, following Soundwave’s directions towards the bar and what shops were already open at this hour.That was—

Soundwave dropped to his knees.

Cosmos—and Prowl too, he realized—had reached forward, intending to pull Soundwave back from whatever had knocked him down, but he had done it on his own accord. A dark grey blur collided with Soundwave, and Cosmos watched as Ravage insistently butted his head against Soundwave’s, speaking far too quickly for him to understand.

Prowl touched his arm. Cosmos nodded. He waited until Prowl offered Soundwave his reassurance they’d be around if he needed them, before heading down the corridor.

Cosmos followed Prowl, well aware Ravage, though he hadn’t budged from his place in Soundwave’s arms, was staring at them.

* * *

It was…fine, having the other Autobots here. Nice, even. It was far less eventful than the first time Voin traders visited the station, an incident Cosmos always hoped would never be repeated.

Privately, however, Cosmos was glad it was temporary.

He’d spoken to Rodimus, who wanted to know what he’d been up to since his departure from Cybertron (Was he happy here? Yes. _Really,_ though. Really, yes. Even with Prowl around? _Yes.)_ exchanged a few words with Ultra Magnus and the unfamiliar Autobots—Nightbeat and Nautica—mostly about the logistics of running such a place.

He hadn’t seen Soundwave at all, though the Decepticon had sent them both a brief message assuring them he was fine; he and Ravage and the other cassettes were catching up in private. Though Cosmos couldn’t be sure, Soundwave certainly _seemed_ far more relaxed than he had been just a few hours ago.

And then he found himself sitting next to Prowl, nursing a glass of energon. Like usual. _This_ wasn’t awkward, like the scene in the hallway. This was _usual._

There was something comforting about _usual,_ Cosmos realized. Even the new-usual; not pulling away when his knees knocked against Prowl’s, was familiar. Welcomed.

“Do you regret it?” Prowl asked abruptly.

“Huh?”

“Leaving the _Lost Light_ to come to Earth.” Prowl paused, looking like he’d accidentally swallowed some rancid energon. “Following me.”

Oh.

“Of course not. I mean, when you ditched me to try and overthrow Starscream, I did, a little,” Cosmos admitted. “But then I met Soundwave. And then…you came back. So I’d say overall it’s a net positive.”

“A net positive.”

“Yeah.” Beneath the table, Cosmos nudged Prowl’s leg affectionately. “Net positive. Why—did _you_ want to join the intergalactic road trip?”

“I doubt Rodimus would let me on the ship.”

“True.” A thought occurred to him, and Cosmos paused. “You know, I won’t be offended if you go and mingle. If you want.”

“Mingle.”

“Mingle.”

“There is someone I wanted to speak to,” Prowl said. “But I think he stay—“

In unison, their comlinks chimed. Cosmos looked down. It was Soundwave, of course, letting them know that he was coming to join them. That Ravage was coming too was unstated, but understood.

For the first time, a hint of worry wormed its way into Cosmos’s processor. Soundwave hadn’t divulged the full extent of his and Ravage’s relationship, but he had said _enough._ Enough for Cosmos to understand that Soundwave considered Ravage family, as he did with all the cassettes. And Cosmos understood that Soundwave valued Ravage’s opinion, in a way he did few others.

But Ravage was different. Soundwave wanted Ravage to _meet_ them. Officially _meet them,_ introduce them not as Autobots, as the mechs Soundwave was attempting to court.

There was also the chance Ravage _wouldn’t_ like them. And if he didn’t, would Soundwave drop the courtship?

Cosmos looked up as Laserbeak landed on his shoulder, and Buzzsaw settled on Prowl’s.

“Lighten up, Autobots.” Laserbeak leaned over and nipped Prowl’s chevron. “If Ravage doesn’t like you, we’ll make good use of your room.”

Cosmos wondered if Laserbeak had spontaneously developed telepathy.

“Cosmos and Prowl are not going anywhere.”

Cosmos tried to keep his optics on Soundwave as the Decepticon sat— _not_ on Ravage.

Ravage jumped into Soundwave’s lap.

“Ravage,” Soundwave said, without further preamble. Cosmos felt his spark skip a beat. “This is Prowl. And Cosmos.”

“Your Intended.” Ravage said. “Intended _s.”_

Mutely, Soundwave nodded.

With a grace befitting his lithe form, Ravage jumped from Soundwave’s lap and onto the table. Cosmos tried not to look at the Decepticon’s talons as Ravage approached—he had lived long enough to see the injuries those claws could inflict. From his position on Cosmos’s shoulder, Laserbeak huffed.

Ravage met his optics. Cosmos forced himself to remain still as Ravage leaned forward, fangs bared, and—

_Sniffed._

Were he not far too nervous to move, Cosmos would have flinched away as the warm air hit his faceplate. Ravage’s actions were terrifying, but almost familiar _—_ the tilt of his head, the way the Decepticon stared so intently…

_Oh._

It reminded him of Soundwave, Cosmos realized. Soundwave, who had probably picked up those mannerisms from Ravage.

Ravage blinked, slowly, then withdrew.

Soundwave visibly relaxed, then tensed again as Ravage turned his attention to Prowl

Helplessly, Cosmos watched as Ravage approached Prowl. Prowl wasn’t _stupid,_ Cosmos knew—he wouldn’t startle the beastformer. It would be _fine._

Cosmos watched as Prowl met Ravage’s gaze with an evenness Cosmos couldn’t help but admire. Were it not for Cosmos feeling Prowl’s legs stiffen, Cosmos might have thought Prowl was perfectly calm.

As he had with Cosmos, Ravage leaned in, close enough to Prowl that their breaths must have mixed. But unlike before, Ravage didn’t pull away. Instead Ravage raised a paw. His claws seemed to shine in the dim light.

Slowly and deliberately, Ravage rested his claws on Prowl’s shoulder.

And then he pulled away.

Cosmos glanced at Prowl’s shoulder. There were four slight scratches left in the paint—not nearly deep enough to have caused actual damage; had Cosmos not known the marks were there, he would never have noticed them.

But they _were_ there.

“You could do worse,” Ravage said to Soundwave.

Soundwave, who looked like he was about to slump over the table in relief, nodded. Ravage jumped off the table and back onto Soundwave’s lap.

And that seemed to be that.

“Good job,” Laserbeak said to Prowl, when Soundwave and Ravage had left to get drinks.

“Ravage officially hates you the least of all the mechs Soundwave’s introduced him to.”

“It’s not like Soundwave was ever _serious_ about them,” Buzzsaw said. “The idiot has emotional processors were his logic circuits should be.”

“They weren’t serious about _him,”_ Laserbeak corrected. “It’s nauseating, but you two seem just as taken with him as he is with you. Which is a first.”

Buzzsaw nodded. “It’s disgusting. I’m not sure how Ravage can stand the smell. But I’m glad Soundwave’s happy, I guess.”

Cosmos snuck a glance at Soundwave and Ravage. They’d been stopped by Nautica and Skids—mostly Nautica, Cosmos realized, judging by the way she was gesturing to Ravage. He watched long enough to see Ravage snarl and slink away before turning back to Prowl and the cassettes.

“Is he planning to stay?” Cosmos asked. “Ravage.”

“Hasn’t decided yet.” Laserbeak tapped Cosmos’s shoulder with a clawed foot. Buzzsaw huffed his assent and hopped off Prowl’s shoulder and onto Cosmos’s. “I think he’ll decide after Soundwave talks to Megatron.”

“…Megatron.” _Right._ Cosmos had nearly forgotten about the _Lost Light’s_ co-captain, who had presumably chosen to stay on the ship so as to keep the fragile peace between the station’s residents and the Autobots. “Soundwave’s going to talk to him.”

“Of course he is, Autobot.” Buzzsaw said. “You can’t expect him _not_ to.”

Cosmos nodded. “I know.”

“Lighten up,” Buzzsaw demanded. “Soundwave’s gotten over Megatron. I think.”

“Probably!” Laserbeak gestured to Cosmos’s drink. “You gonna drink that?”

Purely out of spite, Cosmos took the glass and finished off the energon.

“I knew I liked you.” Were it not gratingly sarcastic, Cosmos might have been flattered. Laserbeak turned to Prowl. _“You,_ on the other hand.”

“Get used to it.”

Buzzsaw cackled.

Soundwave and Ravage returned with fresh drinks, which Cosmos accepted gratefully. Ravage jumped back into Soundwave’s lap and stared at Cosmos.

Cosmos looked away.

“Soundwave: departing presently to speak with Megatron. Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, welcome to come.”

“No thanks.”

Laserbeak shook his head. Soundwave nodded, though Cosmos was certain all of them noticed the way his shoulders fell.

“It’ll be fine.” Ravage nudged Soundwave’s hand with his snout. “He misses you.”

Again, Soundwave nodded. He looked over at Cosmos helplessly, but before Cosmos could offer to accompany him, Ravage spoke again.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No.” Soundwave rubbed the underside of Ravage’s neck. “Remain here. I will return shortly.”

Ravage sighed, but nodded. Soundwave stood, gave them a final, resigned nod, and walked out.

“So…” Cosmos began, when the awkward silence became unbearable. “How’s the journey been so far, Ravage?”

“Eventful.” Ravage had been examining his claws, but he looked up and met Cosmos’s optics directly. _That_ wasn’t something Soundwave did nearly as often as Ravage, though Cosmos supposed that due to his visor, he normally couldn’t tell _where_ exactly Soundwave was looking. Ravage’s gaze seemed to cut right through to his spark. “But besides the attempted coup…peaceful.”

“Hah!” Buzzsaw’s optics were shining. “Megatron find out Soundwave sent you to kill him?”

Before Cosmos had time to process _that_ information—he saw Prowl frown; it was barely perceptible, but it was there—Ravage shook his head.

“Oh, I told him that months ago. An interior designer and some escapologist had a plan—a _good plan,_ mind you—to get him executed.” Ravaged inclined his head towards Tailgate. “Using that one.”

“If it didn’t work, it obviously wasn’t good _enough.”_

“Getaway,” Prowl said. It was the first time he’d spoken since before Soundwave left. “It was Getaway?”

Ravage narrowed his optics. His armor bristled. _“You_ put him up to it?”

“I— _no.”_ Cosmos wasn’t sure he believed Prowl, but Ravage just sniffed the air and settled back down. “Where is he? Getaway.” 

Ravage shrugged. The movement had the effect of drawing attention to the missiles attached to his hips.

“In the brig, probably.”

Prowl got up and left.

“Weird,” Laserbeak said.

 _“Prowl_ is weird.”

“He’s not _weird,”_ Cosmos muttered, well aware Ravage was staring at him again. “You’re weird,” Cosmos told Buzzsaw, lamely.

“Primus.” Ravage nudged at the empty bowl. “You three _are_ infatuated.”

Before Cosmos could even _attempt_ to explain his way out of that one, Ravage spoke again.

“So.” Ravage said. “Tell me about you and Soundwave. And you and Prowl, while you’re at it.”

Cosmos sighed.

* * *

By the time Soundwave returned, looking more tired than Cosmos had ever seen, Cosmos privately suspected Prowl’s shouting—while indecipherable—could be heard throughout the entire station.

Once the birds stepped in, Ravage had stopped asking for details, and Cosmos hadn’t been able to bring himself to step in and correct more than the most ridiculous of their stories. Ravage had mostly listened throughout, keeping his optics locked on Cosmos, the only indication of his mood being the single time his tail lashed when Cosmos had mentioned Optimus Prime’s brief involvement with the commune.

“Prowl: upset.” Soundwave said in greeting, then pulled up another chair, sat, and buried his face in his hands.

“And he calls himself a telepath.” But Buzzsaw hopped off Cosmos’s shoulder and nudged Soundwave’s hand until the Decepticon gave in and rubbed his beak. “You and Megs have a good talk?”

“Adequate.” Soundwave petted Buzzsaw for another moment before steeling himself. He sat up and looked at Cosmos. Even from this distance, Cosmos could practically _feel_ his affection, tempered with deep exhaustion. He’d exerted himself far more than usual, in terms of being social, Cosmos knew, and realized with no small amount of worry that Ravage meeting them must’ve been weighing on him far more than Soundwave had revealed.

He wondered how long the _Lost Light_ crew planned to stay. Rodimus had mentioned wanting to leave quickly—the crew was spending most of their time helping out other races, but some mechs were starting to get antsy, anticipating the end to their quest and presumably, the end to Megatron’s tenure as co-captain.

“Where is Rodimus?” Soundwave asked, abruptly. “He was not there when I left Megatron’s quarters.”

“Probably trying to stop Prowl from tearing up that ship,” Laserbeak said dismissively. “Why—two Autobots aren’t enough for you?”

Buzzsaw laughed. Ravage snorted into his drink.

Soundwave looked like he was about to die from embarrassment.

 _“No.”_ Soundwave’s voice wavered. “The crew’s thoughts…mutinous. Frustrated.”

“That’s what Prowl is yelling about,” Buzzsaw said, dismissively. “They’re probably still thinking about what happened.”

“Perhaps.” Soundwave glanced over his shoulder. “Regardless. I would like to mention it to him.”

“You’ve gone s-o-f-t, Soundwave!”

Soundwave groaned. 

**Author's Note:**

> soundwave: smells like mutiny 
> 
> as always, feedback is appreciated! 
> 
> next chapter: bedsharing! angst! the unfortunate aftereffects of being unable to move for months!


End file.
